tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post6903217262651963020..comments2016-12-02T11:26:10.627-06:00Comments on Beth Loves Bollywood: some scattered thoughts on Luck by ChanceBeth Watkinsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-19017013755509634972010-04-02T07:45:42.121-05:002010-04-02T07:45:42.121-05:00Some delightful screen caps here highlighting the ...Some delightful screen caps here highlighting the amusing and thoughtful artwork that went into LBC. Have seen the movie twice (so far), still didn&#39;t notice some of the details posted here :)Hans Meierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675553770565339630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-80008222389268887832009-11-09T13:50:36.915-06:002009-11-09T13:50:36.915-06:00I absolutely loved this movie too. The thing abt A...I absolutely loved this movie too. The thing abt Akshaye Khanna rejecting a film: I think Farhan &amp; co were actually making a dig at him. I saw Farhan&#39;s interview on some show and he said that the reason he was cast in the film was becoz his sister kept getting rejected by all the actors she approached. It got to the point where she (Zoya) and her friend would compete on the phone- Guess who rejected my film today? It became like a funny rivalry about how could get a more out-of-work star to reject them. <br /><br />So I think having Akshaye and Vivek Oberoi rejecting the film was a dig that they probably didn&#39;t even get, depending on how self-absorbed they are :D And yes, that delighted my schadenfreuden tendencies :pPituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438422220019928853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-62236999228174823202009-10-30T09:02:52.132-05:002009-10-30T09:02:52.132-05:00Luck by Chance is an updated version of Raj Kapoor...Luck by Chance is an updated version of Raj Kapoor&#39;s film Shri 420. Think about it. <br />Talented boy comes from small town to the big city. Meets sweet girl who helps him and he falls in love. He then meets up with glamourous woman who gives him an entree into high society (films in this case). Girl A feels dejected. Boy then returns to Girl A who takes him back (in Shri 420) rejects him (in LBC). A familiar story, done in an interesting contemporary way.Retromanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13625412522275522034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-84869899257121334032009-10-30T06:43:47.679-05:002009-10-30T06:43:47.679-05:00I agree with what Shalini Razdan wrote. In fact I ...I agree with what Shalini Razdan wrote. In fact I was thinking of writing something along those lines.<br /><br />Sona was the mistress of this married man director for years thinking that he will cast her as the lead in his next film. But in the end he doesn&#39;t and not only that but he also humiliates him and this is enhanced further by his wife witnessing it. <br /><br />Sona was willing to play the game but she did not possess the thick skin that is required to be a player.<br /><br />In the end Sona was happier and more enlightened than Vikram who is neither after happiness nor enlightment anyway.<br /><br />So everyone got what they wanted no? <br /><br />And I loved SRK cameo, but that is a given.<br /><br />Akshaye cameo was the only time I liked Akshaye in a film.eliza bennethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997101330508195099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-54259695646744407212009-10-28T20:57:21.468-05:002009-10-28T20:57:21.468-05:00Ethically and morally speaking, I didn&#39;t think...Ethically and morally speaking, I didn&#39;t think Sona was much different from Vikram. They were both willing to compromise their values to get what they wanted. Where the difference comes in is that Vikram&#39;s opportunism gets him what he wants, while Sona&#39;s doesn&#39;t. I also think that&#39;s why in the end, we cheer for Sona but feel contempt for Vikram - she redeems herself by &quot;failing&quot;, while he reminds us that in life all too often, the jerk *does* &quot;win.&quot;Shalini Razdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13254643642104251964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-28007018222324622492009-10-28T18:10:24.456-05:002009-10-28T18:10:24.456-05:00I didn&#39;t really bond with this film when I wat...I didn&#39;t really bond with this film when I watched it - I found it kind of...bleak and cold and like I was distanced from the whole thing. Maybe that was the point? I don&#39;t know. Your great post has definitely inspired a second viewing, anyway.Nesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107616228716988730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-20465949925496496852009-10-28T17:52:17.458-05:002009-10-28T17:52:17.458-05:00This had so much in it, I liked it a LOT. And I do...This had so much in it, I liked it a LOT. And I don&#39;t think that Sona&#39;s success at the end was less---even in an obvious way---than Vikram&#39;s. She was clearly happier, and headed on a path to more happiness, than he...I think that was part of the message, at least it&#39;s what I got from it: don&#39;t buy into other people&#39;s ideas of success. Find your own.<br /><br />And Rishi is such a great &quot;character&quot; actor. I much prefer him now to his 80s-90s hero days...memsaabstoryhttp://memsaabstory.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-27421519458055680642009-10-28T14:33:58.393-05:002009-10-28T14:33:58.393-05:00I LOVE LOVE LOVE this movie. So well written, and ...I LOVE LOVE LOVE this movie. So well written, and chock full of enchanting little moments that add to the plot.<br /><br />One of the best things about it was her non-judgemental outlook - you didn&#39;t get the feeling that something was frowned upon just because it&#39;s considered &quot;wrong&quot; by society&#39;s stardards, like sleeping your way to the top. Both Vikram and Sona did this, however I guess you also have to choose who to sleep with in order to succeed... Zoya Akhtar never gives the impression that she condones or condemns, but lets us choose our own opinion and I love that.<br /><br />The reality is that moviemaking is a dirty business and yes, full of nepotism and favoritism but it shouldn&#39;t stop us from appreciating and loving the movies themselves. <br /><br />I saw it again the other day (for the fourth time..) and I still think that Dimple Kapadia is the best thing in it. Every moment on screen with her is delicious. In the words of Rolly - a crocodile in a chiffon sari!Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15496334487839398944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-70998373977162960122009-10-28T12:10:32.601-05:002009-10-28T12:10:32.601-05:00I really liked this one Beth. I thought it was tho...I really liked this one Beth. I thought it was thoughtful and cynical and I adored Konkona. I read a lot of critisism about this movie that it was very &quot;unBollywood&quot;, but I like this new realistic format for films - diversity folks! Anyway, great review. Love the screen caps. Check out my review: http://shellsbollyworld.blogspot.com/2009/05/luck-by-chance.htmlshellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08758282383525747870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-13539967693870457592009-10-28T10:43:27.707-05:002009-10-28T10:43:27.707-05:00Banno - Yeah! I had to pause a lot and think. Sanj...Banno - Yeah! I had to pause a lot and think. Sanjay does look freakishly like his brother, and I so dig his chiller vibe. I was really confused when I saw him in that song from <i>Raja</i> - I don&#39;t think I had a clear idea that Anil had sibs who acted, so my brain just did not know what to make of him. <br /><br />ramsu - That&#39;s a good point! You&#39;re right, she was just as willing (and in fact acted on it, I gather it is implied), and the real difference is that she figured it out. There might also be commentary on how things are different for men and women in the industry? Not sure. <br /><br />Now that I&#39;m thinking about it, I&#39;m wondering which characters in the film (other than SRK, whom I don&#39;t count since he&#39;s really being &quot;himself&quot;) actually made it in the industry without any sort of family connection or favor-doing. I don&#39;t recall a back story for Rishi or Dimple....<br /><br />FG - Yeah, it was not the strongest aspect of the film by a long shot. I liked her a lot - I liked her &quot;waking up,&quot; as ramsu said - but he got progressively more annoying and forgettable. <br /><br />Do you think Farhan&#39;s blank looks were for the character? Or is that what he does when he&#39;s acting? <br /><br />Amey - Oooh! Nice!<br /><br />Emily - I feel your pain. Fortunately, someone on twitter assured me that it got less bleak as it went on, and I found that to be true, though it is not in any way purely celebratory. I think it might be closer to a sort of &quot;look at this lotus that rises from the muck&quot; story, with energy on both the muck and the bloom. There are scenes that show, or hint at, what is lovable about the Hindi film industry too, though to my mind those were not as overt. But that&#39;s okay - we already have delightful films celebrating the film industry. <br /><br />I too do not care for Farhan as an actor (LOVE as a director though!). He&#39;s fine, but whatever - I think he&#39;s getting the chance to be in front of the camera as much because of his name as because of his previous body of work as a director. <br /><br />There is much Akshaye love here. I&#39;m really curious why he got as much time as he did - more than Abhishek, John, Ranbir, etc. Maybe he and Zoya are friends?<br /><br />I definitely recommend this film - even if it&#39;s very bleak in parts, or even vaguely bleak overall, it&#39;s really good and provides a ton to look at and think about. Dimple&#39;s performance alone makes it a must-see, I&#39;d say. So try it, but do have a chaser of something that you love lined up for afterwards :)Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-44424526282617695622009-10-28T09:51:58.456-05:002009-10-28T09:51:58.456-05:00Zoya Akhtar skewered the film world so gut-wrenchi...<i>Zoya Akhtar skewered the film world so gut-wrenchingly and leaves such bleak tatters behind that I felt like a chump for liking any of its products.</i><br /><br />That&#39;s exactly why I&#39;ve put off watching Luck By Chance for so long. I hate having to scrape up the pieces of my Bolly-love after being disillusioned; if that means staying blissfully ignorant and ignoring gossip then that&#39;s what I do. But on the other hand your and others reviews have made LBC sound so good...I don&#39;t know what I&#39;ll end up doing. I&#39;ve also been less enthusiastic about Farhan Akhtar since Rock On (funny, since that seems to be the movie that made everyone else take notice of him). But...but...but Akshaye!<br /><br />Argh, what a useless comment. :-PEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15011854098374125223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-45295413119541563882009-10-28T09:37:57.184-05:002009-10-28T09:37:57.184-05:00Somebody noticed once how the strugglers in the ca...Somebody noticed once how the strugglers in the cast are well-connected in real life while the daughter of yesteryear actress (Isha Sarvani) has had no Bollywood connection before she started acting :DAmeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10252374817117509287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-19061197864165188402009-10-28T07:14:32.649-05:002009-10-28T07:14:32.649-05:00Yay for the Rishi Love Train!Yay for the Rishi Love Train!Anarchivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599522097057431891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-83729922203977996792009-10-28T06:54:21.170-05:002009-10-28T06:54:21.170-05:00Maybe I would like this more on a second viewing b...Maybe I would like this more on a second viewing but I just couldn&#39;t get into the Farhan/Koko storyline - it just felt so trite!<br /><br />I did love Dimple and Rishi and Hrithik and the behind-the-scenes stuff and wish there had been more of that and much, much less of Farhan&#39;s blank looks....Filmi Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182245444783020664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-87214731924967669602009-10-28T04:30:01.168-05:002009-10-28T04:30:01.168-05:00I keep wondering about this: Sona was just as prep...I keep wondering about this: Sona was just as prepared to sleep her way to the top as Vikram was, except that she woke up after realizing that she was being used by that sleazeball. Is there a double standard here?<br /><br />~ramsucelluloidranthttp://celluloidrant.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-17730815381946303962009-10-28T02:47:17.200-05:002009-10-28T02:47:17.200-05:00Makes me want to see the film all over again. I&#3...Makes me want to see the film all over again. I&#39;d also be able to see it more leisurely on DVD.<br /><br />Loved, loved, loved the older gang, and yes, wished they&#39;d had more to do.<br /><br />As for Sanjay Kapoor, the poor guy never had a chance because he just resembles Anil Kapoor so much, it is disconcerting to see him on screen. A bit like hearing someone else dub for an actor, when you know the original voice, it keeps nagging at you.<br /><br />Though I do agree with you, I find his muted intensity more appealing than Anil&#39;s.Bannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03855784743978203037noreply@blogger.com